


Is This?

by Gadhar



Category: The Expendables (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2018-03-09 08:39:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3243290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gadhar/pseuds/Gadhar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em> “You missin’ home?” </em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Is This?

**Author's Note:**

> Written off of this:  
> maybe after an op the gang have a layover in europe. and barney catches lee with an odd/sad look as he stares around and asks if he misses home...
> 
> Which made me think of this piece of art [art](http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/254/a/f/the_expendables_christmas_barney_by_littlemmmyu-d7yr6g3.png) for some reason. 
> 
> I actually was going to try incorporate the art but yeah....maybe in another fic. Heh. 
> 
> I do not own Expendables or that piece of artwork and I didn't ask permission to even link it in but oh well. If the artist actually ever wanders on to this site and sees it, I'll worry about it then.
> 
> Also, this just proves I'm a dork. Jason Statham is from Shirebrook, a city within Derbyshire in the UK and all I could think was _"omg, he's from the Shire! He's a hobbit."_

“Alright, so we’re stuck,” Barney said over the loud groaning and bitching of the assembled guys. He gets it, really. They’re tired and despite the mission going fairly well it was long and exhausting and everyone just wants to go home. Still, they’ve all been bitching the two hours they’ve been here and that’s not going to change anything so he really wishes they’d just shut up. “Look at it this way, if we were still in Ireland, we’d be dealing with the IRA. At least now that we’re in England the stupid fuckers at the CIA will actually _pick us up.”_

“At this point, I’d rather walk, man.”

“How the fuck are you gonna walk across the _Atlantic,_ Caesar? You’d drown.”

“I can swim just fine and I was making a _point._ You know, like people do. And where do you–”

Barney tuned them out. Everyone, not just Toll and Caesar, had gone from the usual teasing to jumping down each others' throats and Barney had no doubt that in about 3 seconds time the room would devolve into more bitching, moaning, and general asshole-ishness from everyone.

He took the opportunity to slip around the group, heading for the door. Maybe he could put a call in to Drummer, actually get _him_ instead of some office secretary, and convince him to come sooner. It would probably get him nowhere though, they weren’t even sending a real pickup for them in the first place. They were expected to get a ride from some passing transport, like they were waiting for the fucking _bus._

Barney breathed in the night air, chilly and refreshing, and closed his eyes. Amazing what a breath of air that wasn't tainted with sweat and blood could do for you. 

When he opened his eyes, he was unsurprised to find Lee in front of him, leaning against the railing and staring out at the city. Even from this distance Barney could tell the man was tired, but their was a certain tension to his stance—the way his shoulders were pulled tighter—that seemed a little off to Barney. 

He made a point to approach carefully, just in case the tension was closer to deadly adrenaline than anything else, and leaned on the railing next to Lee, their shoulders touching.

The contact seemed to relax Lee, if only marginally, and Barney took that as a sign he wouldn’t get knifed any time soon. Lee didn’t turn to him though and in the shadows of the moonlight, Lee’s profile looked...sad. 

Barney nudged him and Lee finally did look, his expression was one that put Barney in the mind of a forlorn and lost stray dog, but it was buried under exhaustion and a small, tight smile, quickly. “What’s up?”

“Nothing. Just enjoying the fresh air.”

Barney nodded, “Better than a bunch of sweaty mercenaries right. I can’t wait until we’re locked up on another plane together for a few hours.”

“Everyone’s idea of a good time.”

Barney snorted a laugh and they fell into silence. A comfortable one. He couldn’t get comfortable silences with the rest of the guys. There was always some sort of sound—quiet chatter, unnecessarily loud breathing, someone bitching...

Lee wasn’t like that. Barney would even wager a guess that Lee thrived on the silence. Still...

Barney glanced over, saw that same shadowed yearning Lee covered up just moments ago. “You missin’ home?” 

It just occurred to him that they were in England. And though he didn't actually know _where_ Lee was from, he knew it was somewhere in this country. Maybe Lee missed whatever quiet life he had before the Expendables and the SAS.

Lee tensed again, briefly, and visibly forced himself to relax with a sigh. He didn’t bother looking at Barney. “Not...really. I mean...” He shrugged.

Lee didn’t say anything else and Barney was ready to drop it, maybe this was something the Brit didn’t want to talk about. But then Lee started talking again and Barney did his best to not look like he was hanging on every word, even though he was. Talking of him and past was something Lee rarely did, if at all.

“It’s more like...nostalgia, you know? I used to live a few miles over there,” Lee gestured out at the distance. “The next city over. You can’t see anything from here but...I miss things, I guess. It was a quiet place, small town. No one was in a rush...unless you were running from the cops.”

Lee was smirking, small and shyly and at nothing in particular but the blackness of the street below them. Barney wanted to ask if Lee was one of those runners. He could see that. Lee causing small bits of trouble, being a rowdy kid.

“Anyway, there was a lot more...communion. Even in the SAS, with all the craziness and looking over your shoulder, me and the guys we’d...we’d take time, just to hang out, enjoy the presence of other humans. Kept you connected to the real world I guess. Don’t see that much now. Everyone’s always in a rush somewhere and when we get back from ops the guys just...go their separate ways. At least until they come in two days later because they're bored and they start terrorizing, Tool.”

Barney gave a full laugh at that. Though, at this point, Tool was so used to it he got in the habit of just making the guys do work around the place. It was a good thing too because otherwise they’d be at the hangar and Barney did not need that. At all. 

“Did you want to visit? Just...swing by, you know?” He hadn’t meant to wipe the smile off Lee’s face but he did and there it was and he instantly regretted it. Way to fucking go, Barney.

“Nah. For all the nostalgia...I don’t need those memories, Barney.” He gave Barney a clap on the shoulder and headed back into the hotel without giving Barney the chance to apologize.

xxx

He’s always stared at Lee. He’ll admit that to himself if no one else. 

In the beginning he could probably just call it curiosity, an interest in their new addition to the team. After that maybe a more...intense interest, because barring all else Lee was skilled and hands down one of the best and that by itself was a major.... _draw._ Past that though, well, he accepted long ago that whatever they had—the friendship, turned brotherhood, turned...so much _more_ —was his sole reason for staring. And until Lee gave a sign otherwise Barney would continue to stare and hope to God it didn’t fuck anything up.

So, staring at Lee on the ride back home (because the CIA finally got their shit together) wasn’t unusual and if anything all it did was prove that something was really bothering the Brit. He didn’t sleep on trip, he didn’t talk, he just sat all awkward in the farthest corner, hunched over, deep in thought, and merely nodding at whatever constant stream of words Galgo was blowing into his ear.

And then there was the thought that it was all his fault because he had to go and bring up things Lee obviously wanted to forget. So, of course he would stare to check the damage. And through all that staring he had a thought, a way to fix things and maybe he could even give Lee a bit of that ‘nostalgia’ back. 

xxx

“What the hell are you doing, Barney?”

“Just shut up and get in the truck.”

 _“Why?”_

“Stop whining. Get in. _Please._ ”

Lee leveled a look at him, one that spoke volumes of exhaustion and made barney think that now he might really _actually_ get knifed but he kept pressing, giving Lee his own level dangerous look. 

Barney would like to think it was how dangerous he could appear that made Lee finally give in but he knew Lee was just too tired to argue like he usually did. He could pretend though.

The drive was silent aside from Lee’s brooding which practically yelled how much he didn’t want to be there in full brooding darkness but Barney ignored him. In a couple of minutes they’d be at the coffee shop anyway.

Because that was his solution, exhaustion made everyone fairly docile and coffee was something they could all stomach, even Lee though Barney made sure the place offered tea just in case Lee was feeling particularly British. And coffee plus the team made for a pretty good situation where no was rushing and all there was, was the comfortable companionship between teammates after a hard shop.

Sure, the guys had to be prissy bitches about it and Barney had no doubt they’d hold it over his head later, to tease in good nature, but seeing the big, albeit tired smile on Lee’s face was worth it. Well worth it. So fucking _worth it._

Lee found his place at Barney’s side about an hour later and the guys had pretty much filtered out, Toll and Caesar the last to leave. 

“Thanks,” Lee muttered out of the corner of his mouth, looking down into his coffee, another mug, one of tea, at his elbow.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Though he couldn’t help smiling, wide and stupidly and he had no doubt that pretty much incriminated him by itself. 

“Sure. Thanks anyway.”

Barney drained the last dregs of his coffee, still smiling. “Thought we’d make it a thing. Like a regular thing. At the least after the tough missions.”

“Maybe without the kids. Just, every now and then, you know?”

Barney snorted, knowing that Lee was still glowering over whatever argument the kids had been in earlier. All the yelling and threat of injury was probably not what Lee had in mind for an after mission get together. “We can try that, yeah.” 

Lee muttered something, passing his mug half-filled off coffee over and grabbing his tea.

“Sorry, about earlier.”

“Nothing to apologize for, so don’t. Seriously.”

Barney raised his eyebrows, saying nothing and leaning back in his chair. Fuck, he was tired, and Lee was already tilting to the side, obviously not doing much better. “Come on, let’s go home.”

Lee hummed and stood up as Barney did, and made a noise. Barney missed it, whatever it was, and was about to ask if that was actually a word and if it was directed at him but he never got the chance, his mind instead freezing as Lee’s lips touched his. A simple pass at first, and then it got deeper, Lee leaning into him and moaning with Barney to shell-shocked to anything.

Lee pulled away and got a good look at Lee’s tired but blissful expression, his body relaxed. He turned away, walking to the door and stopping. He tossed, “Are you coming?” over his shoulder and then walked out.

Barney blinked a few times, slowly, trying to get his brain working again. Then he slipped his jacket on and followed, wondering if that kiss meant more of the same when they got home. And he really hoped ‘home’ meant him and Lee in a bed together and sleep and a whole bunch of other things he had to stop thinking about, otherwise the ride back was going to be extremely uncomfortable.


End file.
